After waiting six decades, a 92-year-old woman was finally able to adopt her 76-year-old cousin who she has raised as her daughter for decades.
The Associated Press noted that on Tuesday, family court Judge Kim Cooks approved Muriel Clayton's adoption of Mary Smith.
Clayton took in her first cousin when Smith’s father died of a heart attack and her mother suffered a mental illness. Clayton, who has four other children, considered Smith to be her daughter but did not ask to formally adopt her out of respect for her biological mother.
After Smith’s mother passed away a few years back Clayton asked her cousin if she would like her to legally adopt her.
"I have been her mother ever since she was 13 or 14 years old,” Clayton told Today. "She always fit in beautifully. She was always my child and everybody knew that. We even look quite a bit alike."
The women each wore purple outfits to the courthouse on Tuesday and were given flowers and took photos to celebrate the happy day that’s been in the making for 60 years.
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